Cuteness Is The Best Medicine
by LovelessErmine
Summary: A collection of one-shots starring Alex, Selena and Chase, as well as their parents, Shira and Diego. Other herd members and OCs appear as well. Follow up to Scratte's Kitten Troubles. Very sweet and fluffy, no serious themes, just fun stuff.
1. Flutter By Butterfly

**A follow up to Scratte's Kitten Troubles. Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age, or it's characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studios. I only own the story, and Alex, Selena and Chase. This is a series of one shots, all cute and lighthearted fun. **

Shira and Diego's three cubs were asleep, napping and the warm sun. Well, Selena and Alex were asleep, anyway.

Chase, stubborn little guy he was, fought sleep harder then an enemy. He looked around, bored. Trees, pond, grass, rocks, flash of red. Wait, flash of red? Chase jumped up. He was going to find out what it was. His parents were out hunting, so no one was going to stop him. "Hey babies! Wake up!" He shouted at his siblings. He was the first born, so that meant the others were babies, at least it did to Chase.

Alex stood up and shook off, waking up Selena in the process. "What is going on?" she asked, still sleepy. "I saw a red thing in the air. It was small and it flew in the air!" he said, trying to convince the others it was worth missing nap time.

Selena yawned loudly. "But I was asleep. And besides, Mom said to stay here!" she tried to be stubborn, but it sounded a little whiny. Chase rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Rules don't matter. Alex and I will go and have fun. Be a little baby! Right Alex?" He looked at Alex expectantly. "Uh... I don't know..." He looked around nervously.

Chase sighed angrily. "Fine, babies! I'll be the brave explorer. You stay and have your little nap!" He stalked off toward the clump of plants where he'd seen the flash of red. Alex ran after him. "W-wait! I'll come with you! I don't want to stay!" he caught up to Chase.

Selena looked around, nervous. She didn't like to be alone. She decided to go with her brothers. "Guys! Please! wait up!" she ran as fast as she could. Hopefully she wouldn't lose sight of them. She almost tripped over a root, but managed to catch herself.

When she finally caught up with the others, they were looking under a bush. "Have you found it yet?" Alex shook his head. "Sorry, Sel. Not yet." They both watched Chase climb up a rock. "Hey! Here it is! Come see!" He sounded very excited. Both of them rushed over, bumping into each other. "Ouch!" they both said, and then got up.

"What is it?" Alex asked, curious as always. Chase continued to focus on it. "It's a... uh, a..." He never got to answer. A loud crash of brush snapped them out of their fixation. Chase saw Diego. "Shhh!" he warned his siblings. They nodded. "I heard that!" Diego said, and saw Selena's leg sticking out behind the rock. "Don't play dumb. I know you're there!"

Chase sighed. They were caught. Alex piped up. "Don't blame me! It was Chase's idea!" They crawled out from behind the rock. Alex looked worried. Selena was sad, and felt bad about not listening. Chase glared at everyone else.

Diego chuckled. "I'm sure it was, Chase. I'm sure it was. Now why don't you come get dinner before your Mom eats it all." All the cubs smiled. "Okay!" They all followed Diego out of the woods. Dinner was waiting, along with Shira.

The adults laughed over the story. "What's so funny?" Alex asked. Shira smiled, her eyes sparkling with pride. " You guys are. And by the way, the red thing you were chasing was a butterfly." The cubs looked interested. "Oh!" They all said at once. Butterflies were great, but family was better.


	2. Splish Splash

**__**. **Splish Splash**

**Summary: Alex finds a bunch of puddles, and shows them to the others. Crazyness and fun ensues!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age, or any of it's characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studios. I only own Alex, Selena, and Chase and the stories.**

It was a soft spring day. Alex and Selena were chasing each other around a bush, laughing. Chase was standing on a rock, acting like a king. They were all having fun, but Alex decided for once he would be the leader. "Hey, Chase! Why don't you come see the puddles with me?"

Chase hopped down. "You know where there are puddles?" he asked, wondering why he hadn't found them first. Alex nodded enthusiastically. "You wanna see? How 'bout you, Sel? You should come too!"

Selena considered her options. Playing in puddles was fun, and safe. She decided to tag along. Alex grinned and started heading in the direction of the shallow pools of water.

They laughed all the way there, spirits high. When the first faint reflection was visible, they all ran forward with impressive speed for cubs their age. Chase figured this was a good time to yell his favorite phrase. "Last one there is a cooked dodo!" Having said that, he put on a burst of speed, catching up with Alex.

Selena came in last, not surprising since she had been trailing them the whole time. "Selena's a rotten dodo! Nah nah nah nah!" Chase taunted, smirking with pride. He and Alex had tied. "Stop it! That's mean!" Selena said, pouting. She wondered why they'd asked her to come, when they were always teasing her.

Alex, who didn't want a fight, tried to stop them. "Look, it doesn't matter. Let's go have fun, ok?" Selena nodded, and Chase took off. "Last one there is a...". Selena cut him off. "Shut up! I don't care!" Chase stopped, annoyed by Selena ending his fun.

At last, they made it to the puddles, sitting there in all their wet glory. Alex dove in, splashing Chase. "You asked for it!" he yelled, and ran in, knocking over Alex. They started to play-fight, water spraying everywhere.

Selena, who was not a huge fan of water, decided to just dip her paw in. "Brrr!" she exclaimed, shaking off her paw. How could the boys enjoy that? She looked in the puddle, her reflection looking back. She smiled. Hey, it did too! She made funny faces in her 'mirror'.

The boys continued to tussle, having a great time. They were both soaked. Alex stopped for a second, and looked up. "Um, guys, we better get going. The sun has moved, and we've been here a while." Chase agreed, despite wanting to stay longer. He stepped out of the puddle, and shook off, purposely aiming for Alex. Alex wasn't going to take it, and shook off next to Chase.

They were both interrupted by Selena, still dry and clean. "Would you guys just stop?" she would never understand their love of getting dirty. "Alright. We'll stop." Alex was as dry as he was going to get. So was Chase. The tree cubs ran towards home, not stopping until they saw the rest of the Herd.

**Author's note: I hope you like it so far! There's lots more cuteness where this came from. I'll update daily unless something comes up.**


	3. That's Fishy!

** That's Fishy!**

**Summary: Shira decides to take the cubs out for their first fishing lesson. Only one question: What's the catch?**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Ice Age, or any of it's characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studios. I only own Alex, Selena and Chase, and the story.**

Shira had decided her cubs needed to learn how to survive on their own, or better yet, how to fish. She had seen them come back, soaking wet from playing, and figured they should learn how to do something more productive.

"Alex, Selena, Chase! It's time for your first fishing lesson!" Shira announced. Her three cubs stopped trying to climb a tree, and ran clumsily toward her.

"Do we really get to go fishing like you?" Alex asked. Shira smiled at her most curious cub. "Yes we do. You're old enough now." Alex was practically bouncing with energy. Selena looked a bit nervous, and Chase looked bored. "Is it safe?" Selena asked, causing Chase to snicker at her fearfulness. "Yes Selena, it's safe. And Chase, stop that!"

Chase stopped, and looked at the ground. "Now let's go. The day is half over, and I don't want to be heading back in the dark." Shira didn't want the hassle of three cubs in the dark. She knew Selena would be scared, and Chase would make it worse. Alex bounded forward. "Wrong way! The fish pond is this way!" she called, turning around. Alex's ears drooped in embarrassment. He then turned and followed his mother to the pond.

They followed the trail other animals had made, Chase running in front as always. He made it to the pond first, and stopped in front. Alex, who hated to be left behind, ran forward, and skidded to a halt an inch away from the water. "Watch out! You'll scare the fish!" Chase hissed. "Well sorry!"

He looked into the clear, shallow water. The bottom was a brown mud. It looked like fun to stir it up, but he knew today was important, and not for messing around. He stared intently, waiting for something to move.

Shira and Selena caught up to the boys, who were both looking at the pond. Shira told Selena to wait with her brothers, and waded into the pond. She stalked forward with the movement of a skilled huntress. She hardly stirred any mud at all. Suddenly, she went stiff. Then she plunged underwater, and came out with a nice sized fish.

"Wow!" the cubs all said at once. Shira dropped the fish on a soft pile of moss. "Who wants to go first?" She asked. Alex was the first to speak up. "Alex. Follow me" Shira led Alex to a shallow part of the pond.

"Now, you want to spot an area with fish, and get to it making the least movement possible." Alex was eager to try, and crept in. He tried his best to mimic Shira's smooth movement, and was actually doing quite well. He dove underneath the surface, and popped up with a small fish in his mouth.

"Look at this, Mom!" he said, proudly showing off his fish. Shira was proud of her son. "Good one, Alex." He went back to the others, and set his fish next to Shira's.

"Who next?" she asked. Selena backed up a bit. "I want to go last." Shira then looked at Chase, awaiting his response. He shrugged. "Works for me!" He followed Shira to where Alex had caught his fish.

Chase didn't wait for instructions. He stalked a fish, and pounced. He surfaced with a fish in his mouth, slightly larger then Alex's had been. He pranced back, and dropped his prize by the others. He smirked with pride. "Check out how big my fish is!" Alex didn't really care.

"Selena, it's your tun." Selena nervously followed her mother to the pond. "Will you come in with me?" Shira nodded. The two of them waded into the water. "There. See that fish? Go get it Sel!" Shira said softly. Selena stuck her head under the water, hopeful.

When she broke the surface, the only thing bigger then her grin was the fish, only a bit smaller then Shira's catch. She raced over to show her brothers the fish. She carefully set it down on top of the pile. "Hey boys! Look how big my fish is!" Alex was impressed. "Good job, sis!"

Chase looked at it in disbelief. He was supposed to have the biggest fish! " Yeah, well having your Mom help you doesn't count." Selena looked sad.

"Would you all stop arguing, and carry your fish back? It's getting late!" None of them wanted to disappoint Shira, so they picked up their fish, and headed home to eat. Chase eventually said sorry, and all the cubs showed a promising future in fishing.

**Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this. Next time we'll meet up with Crash and Eddie, and maybe a little bit of Granny as well. Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have helpful tips, but be kind, please. **


	4. Chapter 4

** Going Toothless**

**Summary: Crash and Eddie get Alex and Chase to help them play a joke on Granny and Sid. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age, or it's characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studios. I only own Alex, Selena and Chase, and the story.**

Crash and Eddie were bored. They were sitting at the remains of the night before's fire, poking at it with sticks. "Dude, I'm bored." Crash complained to Eddie. "Then let's go put bugs in the food stash." Eddie suggested, still looking bored. "We already did that like, five times today!" Crash said, annoyed.

Eddie made a face. "Well its better then this!" Their conversation was interrupted by Alex, who nearly knocked them over. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" Eddie yelled. Surprisingly, Crash was silent. A mischievous look crossed his face. "Bro! I know what we can do! Let's teach the cubs how possums do it!"

Eddie grinned. "That is totally stupid! We have to try it!" "Yes... Wait, did you just call me stupid?!" he yelled, and tackled Eddie. They were having a full-blown slap fight when Alex interrupted them.

"Hey guys! Stop fighting! That is way more stupid!" They stopped. "You know something, I think he's right." Eddie said, dusting himself off. "I think so." Crash agreed.

"Now listen up, cats. We are going to hide Granny's teeth. You will help us. First, let's find the teeth." Alex and Chase nodded in silent agreement. Selena wasn't feeling good, and was asleep in the den. The two boys followed the possum twins to where Granny was taking a nap.

Granny was laying on the ground, her teeth right beside her. Crash addressed the cubs in a hushed voice. "You see Granny there? Me and Eddie are gonna climb that tree and get them. You stand guard. If Granny wakes up, distract her." The two cubs shook their heads up and down, not wanting to make a sound.

Crash and Eddie found a vine, and climbed the tree. Eddie tied the vine around Crash's waist. The he slowly lowered his brother down. Alex held his breath, knowing how cranky Granny was. Chase watched with wide eyes, impressed.

Crash was finally able to reach the teeth, and carefully lifted them. Thankfully, Granny was still asleep. Eddie was having a hard time pulling Crash and the teeth back up. Despite his trouble, they made it down to the ground safely.

"Now to hide them. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Crash asked Eddie. "Sid's bush!" they both exclaimed. The foursome headed over to it, and found that Sid was nowhere to be found. They hid Granny's teeth in the bush. Now all they could do was wait.

The cubs had to go back to the den, but kept their ears peeled for Granny. Sure enough, they heard her. "Sidney! Where are my teeth?!" and the snickering of Crash and Eddie. They poked their heads in the den, congratulating the cubs on a successful mission. "Good job, furballs!" They were also rewarded with the sight of Granny whacking Sid with her cane. The two boys grinned and looked at each other. They couldn't wait to do that again.

**Author's note: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this story. I am so sorry for the delay. My internet was down. To make up for it, I'm adding an extra chapter to Scratte's Kitten Troubles. Again, I'm sorry. Next time, we'll meet up with Selena and Peaches! ~LovelessErmine \3**


	5. Chapter 5

** Peach Blossom**

**Summary: Peaches takes Selena to the flower field, and makes her a gift.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Ice Age, or it's characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studios. I only own Alex, Selena, Chase, and the story.**

It was a typical day for the cubs. Alex and Chase were still asleep. Selena was quit awake, and was shadowing Shira, feeling much better. "I wanna go somewhere!" she said happily.

Shira had an idea. Her daughter got along with Peaches. Maybe she would take Selena out to see the flower field. Shira told Selena to wait in the den. "Ok Mom, but then can we do something?" There was such happiness in her voice, Shira hoped Peaches was free. "I'll be right back. Then we will find something to do."

Shira saw Peaches talking to Ellie. She approached the two. "Do you know if Peaches will be free today? Selena really wants to go out, but I have important things to do." Ellie smiled. "What do you say, Peaches. I know Selena loves you. She sees you as a role model." Peaches grinned sheepishly. "Really? Of course I'm free. Selena is such a cute kid!" Shira was relieved. Now she could enlarge the den, which was getting a bit tight, as the cubs grew.

"Thanks so much Peaches. I'll go get her." Shira headed back to the den, where Selena was waiting, wide eyed. "Can we go somewhere now?" she asked Shira hopefully. "Would you like to go to the flower fields with Peaches?" Selena looked absolutely thrilled. "Oh yes yes yes!" Shira's eyes softened. Her daughter was such a sweetheart.

"Then let's go meet up with her." Selena jumped out of the den, and ran as fast as she could to Peaches. "Hi Selena! Let's get going." Peaches smiled, and Selena returned the favor.

The two talked on the way there, about lots of girly stuff. When the flower fields were in sight, Selena gasped. They were far bigger and more colorful then she had expected. " Impressive, aren't they?" Selena didn't answer, she just kept staring in awe.

Peaches giggled softly, remembering how she had the same reaction to them the first time she had seen them. "Do you want to head in?" Selena snapped out of her haze and ran in, petals flying.

Peaches thought it was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. Selena twirled around in the flowers, a few butterflies scattering. Peaches went into the field herself.

As Selena spun and rolled in the flowers, Peaches was busy making a crown of flowers for Selena. It was turning out well, a mix of pink, yellow and purple. When she finished it, she looked at Selena. "Selena, I have something for you!"

Selena jumped up, very excited, and ran over. When she got close enough, Peaches placed the crown on her head. "Oh thank you so much! I look so pretty!"

They spent the next hour playing together, and Selena insisted that Peaches made a floral headpiece for herself as well. After they had finished, it was time to go.

"Peaches, wait! I need to get a flower for my Mom!" Selena said, turning around. Peaches stopped. "What a good idea! But be quick, we don't want to take too long, or your Mom will get worried."

Selena had her eye on a large red flower. She gently grabbed it in her mouth and pulled it up. "I found it!" Her voice sounded funny because of the flower. "Good. Now let's head back."

The two girls made it back quickly. Shira noticed the flower crown on her daughter's head. "You look beautiful!" She said to Selena. "Mom! Look at what I got for you!" Selena set the delicate flower down carefully. "That's a nice flower, Sel. It will look great in our improved den."

They turned to head back, and Shira looked at Peaches. "Thank you." Peaches smiled. "No problem. It was fun!" Then she continued walking towards Ellie. Shira and Selena made it back to the den just as the boys were waking up. The rest of the day was still to come.

**Author's note: I hope you liked this ultra cute story. I am now accepting OC submissions. Any character is welcome, but remember this is rated K, and I want it to stay that way. All OC's will their own short story, or more if requested. While OCs may reappear, they won't appear in all stories. If you want a certain storyline, leave that as well. I can't make promises about how in character your OC will be, but I'll do my best. Please list your OC's name, gender, age, personality and appearance. Rememberthe more info I have, the better I can write. OC submissions in the reviews, questions to PM please. Later, ~LovelessErmine /3 **


	6. Take A Hike

**Summary: Diego takes the cubs for a hike in the woods, and they meet up with two new friends... Or are they?**

**Disclamier: I don't own Ice Age, or it's characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studio. I only own the story, Alex, Selena, Chase, Mandy and Jade. **

Diego had decided to give Shira a break and take the cubs out for a walk. They were all quite happy, and quickly followed him towards the woods.

The entire conversation consisted of a cub saying "Are we there yet?!" and Diego answering "No!" in an increasingly annoyed voice. Finally the cubs stopped, taking the hint.

At last they reached the woods. They stared at it, a little bit in awe. They had never seen trees so tall. "Impressive, isn't it? Tallest forest on the island." Diego informed his cubs, who were more interested in seeing the forest then hearing about it.

They went in, Chase and Alex running in front, Selena sticking close to Diego. The sun was dappled across the forest floor, illuminating it with a warm glow. The air was soft and smelled fresh. It was very peaceful, and they were all having a good time. Selena even worked up the nerve to go and play with her brothers.

Diego followed behind them, listening to their laughs and shouts of joy. He strolled at a comfortable pace, staying close enough to the cubs that he could see them.

The cubs had gotten tired, and wanted to rest for a while. They laid down and basked in the sun, happily murmuring. Diego, who was far from tired, watched them, pride flashing in his eyes. However, a loud snap broke the sweet silence. It was somewhere in the trees. Diego jumped a little, more from surprise then fear. He shrugged it off, knowing it was a bird or squirrel, or maybe a possum. What else would be up there?

Still, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The cubs were already getting up, and he decided to keep moving. They continued along, the cubs still having fun. Diego, however noticed the forest begin to change. The jungle became more pine filled, and huge strands of moss clung to the branches. He could hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance. It felt a bit cooler here, but it was very beautiful.

He had not gone in this part, and regretted it a little. While the cubs were here it was hard to explore. "I should take Shira here." he said under his breath. There were cliffs behind the large expanse of forest, and sharp craggy rocks popped out of the ground like huge talons. The waterfall was getting closer, he could feel the soft mist on his face.

He was unaware that he was being watched from above.

He came to a huge slab of rock, with a large hole in it. It looked large enough to be a cave. He could swear there was a soft glow inside. As his eyes adjusted, he could see hundreds of glittering crystals. The cubs ran toward it. They never got that far...

Diego saw something jump from a tree onto the cavern roof. It was... A small white weasel, with bright pink hair, obviously dyed with berries, worn in a senseless style that hid her right eye. She took a defensive stance. In her hand was a silver sword, which looked as though it was made by humans.

"Halt! Who goes there!" she demanded in a menacing voice, being sure to show off her weapon. "We do." Diego answered, unimpressed by her show. She got an insane look on her face, and flipped through the air, landing no more then a foot away from him. She held her sword in a defensive pose, ready for action. Diego jumped back in shock, and all the cubs ran behind him, scared.

"I am here to inform you that this is private property. Mine. Not yours. You get it?!" she said, staring at him, silently daring him to top that. Diego held his ground. "For a little white weasel with disturbingly freakish hair, you have a lot of nerve." He said, his voice deadly calm. She hissed loudly, and made a creepy face, before bolting at him. She stopped right in front of his face, and held a pointy little claw to his nose. "I am an ermine!" she yelled, offended.

They looked ready to clobber each other, when a voice called "Jade! You promised to help me find a new flower for my hair! Where are you?" then the owner of the voice, a pretty brown raccoon girl, saw what was going on, and heard Diego chuckling. "Oh gosh! I'm sorry I ruined your tough girl act, didn't I?" Diego burst out laughing. "Tough girl act! A haha!"

Jade stood there, shaking with rage. "Why Mandy? Why must you stop me from getting rid of crystal thieves?!" Then she turned back to the laughing sabers. "And you, those crystals are mine! I found them, and finders keepers!"

Diego stopped laughing. "What made you think we came here to steal? We came here for a walk, and I thought the cubs might be thirsty, so I was taking them to the waterfall." Jade's face softened. She threw her sword away, and instead of it hitting the tree like intended, it landed on top of the cave roof. Jade sighed.

"Sorry I got like that, there have been so many stupid teenage thieves this week, I guess I snapped. This place means a lot to me." she backed up, and stood next to Mandy. "Name's Jade, and this is Mandy." she said, gesturing to the raccoon.

Diego introduced himself and his cubs. "You're awesome!" Alex exclaimed, and ran toward her. "Teach me those moves!" Chase yelled, right behind Alex. Selena smiled shyly. "Uh, hi..."

The two boys bounded toward her, and almost knocked the small ermine over. "Woah there, boys! Calm down! Don't tell me you've never seen an ermine before?" The cubs looked at each other and shook their head. "Can you teach me those awesome moves, can you? Huh, huh?!" Chase looked over at Alex. "Yeah, what he said." Jade looked disappointed. "I would, but I got stuff to do. Sorry guys, but come 'round here again, and I'll be there, 'less I'm off exploring."

Meanwhile, Mandy was a natural with Selena. The usually shy cub was talking with her like they had known each other forever. She also got along great with the boys, though they thought Jade was cooler.

Diego saw the sun was getting low. "Ok, kids. It's time to go!" They left, a bit sad. They headed back, and Jade called "See ya soon! I'll stop by sometime!"

"When I grow up, I want to have moves just like Jade!" Alex said. "I want to spend more time with Mandy, she's really nice!" Selena said. They went off, their minds whirling with many an adventure yet to happen.

"Funny little critters, aren't they." Jade said, a hint of sadness on her usually proud face. "They are too." Mandy said. The two friends watched the sun set behind the waterfall, light dancing in the rapids. Jade looked up, the first star glittering faintly. She made a silent wish, that she could be friends with these cubs, and that she would be able to protect them if history decided to repeat itself...

**Hey everyone! I hope you liked this. It contains a hint for my upcoming story, Memories Unspoken. I am sorry it took so long, I've been busy. And just FYI, if you want to use Alex, Selena and Chase, or Jade and Mandy in a story, go ahead. Just be sure you note they belong to LovelessErmine somewhere in the fic. Also, please don't use them in an M rated fic. And the OC offer still stands. Have a great time, ~LovelessErmine**


	7. Happy Halloween!

**Hey guys, sorry for being gone for so long. I hope you like this story!**

**I do not own Ice Age. Blue Sky Studios does. I only own my OCs and the story.**

It was the cub's first Halloween. They were all very excited, and had listened intently to Peaches' tales of trick-or-treating, counting down the days until they could go on their own candy adventure. She had helped design their costumes, making Alex extra legs for his beetle costume, helping Selena design a flower princess crown, and collecting vines for Chase's explorer outfit. Each one was well made, for if there was one thing a teen mammoth knew, it was how to look good.

The arrangements were set that Peaches and Louis would be responsible for the cubs, and Crash and Eddie would tag along, most likely to pull pranks and hog the candy. Shira and Diego would get a few hours of time to themselves, and the others would be handing out treats.

"Can we go yet?" Alex asked eagerly, looked up at Peaches with huge eyes. "Yeah, can we?" Selena echoed, hopeful. Chase rolled his eyes. "Guys, Peaches said we could leave at sunset. It's not sunset yet." Chase didn't want to admit he was just as anxious as his siblings to go. They were already in costume, Selena being careful not to mess up her costume, and the boys not caring either way. "It's not long now. In fact, as soon as I put up a couple of decorations, we'll head out." Peaches then picked up a ghost made of leaves and hung it from a tree. It rustled eerily in the wind, and to the young cubs, seemed a little too real.

At last it was time to go, and after reattaching a beetle leg and replacing a snapped vine, they wandered out. Chase and Alex ran off ahead, and Selena joined them, not wanting to seem scaredy. They soon reached the first stop, the bird nest. The little green birds happily dropped a cherry in each animal's bag. The cubs were delighted by this. They continued this throughout the village, until the cub's bags were near full, and the possum twins had splattered Grandpa Molehog's hole with rotten fruit, probably because he didn't give out treats. Everyone was having a good time, and they all had a large amount of treats to take home.

"Alright guys, it's time to head back." Louis said, as the sun was almost gone, casting shadows on the leafy path. He didn't want to be walking in the dark for too long. "Aww, come on, it's not even dark out yet!" Alex complained. Chase and Selena joined in, insisting they had to have just ten more minutes. Crash and Eddie also wanted to stay out, but only because the twins had been planning to splatter grumpy Mrs. Beaver's lodge after she yelled at them a week ago for another of their pranks. Peaches was having a good time, and she talked Louis into hitting a couple more houses. The cubs bounced with happiness. "Thanks so much!" Alex exclaimed, and even Chase was hyper with joy and sweets.

The possums insisted they knew a shortcut to the location of both Mrs. Beaver's place and the dens that handed out the best candies and fruits. The group had rather stupidly decided to follow them, but soon it was obvious that they had taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"Crash, Eddie, I don't see any dens nearby, or even a path. Did you make a mistake?" Peaches asked, obviously annoyed but also a little worried. They had been walking for a while, and it was already dark out. Crash looked at Eddie uncertainly. "Um, I'm sure we're not lost..." Eddie said, but Crash glared at him. "I told you to turn left at the hollow tree!" he yelled. "If you hadn't been so stupid..." the two possums were fighting with each other, insults and fists flying. "Stop it!" Peaches demanded. "This is serious. We better look for a way out..." Peaches was cut off by what sounded like something climbing a tree, and creepy laughter.

"What was that!" Louis said, looking around frantically. "I don't know." Peaches said nervously. Chase stepped in front of the other cubs and Louis, and growled as fiercely as he could. Unfortunately, it sounded like a glorified purr. Peaches stood protectively over them, whole the possums cowered behind both Peaches and Chase.

"Hello darlings, what wonderful timing. I was getting hungry, and no, it's not your candy I'm after, if that's what you're thinking!" The entire group instinctively backed up. Louis spoke, his voice trembling. "Please. We don't want to fight. We'll leave right now." For a moment there was silence. Not even the wind. Then the voice started laughing really loud. "Ahaha, you fell for it! You really did! Hahaha! I can't believe it!" And the the mysterious shape fell right out of the tree, landing on its face with a loud thump. It shook its head, looking embarrassed.

The scary monster turned out to be an ermine with bright pink hair. She was wearing a poorly made pirate hat, but her sword was very real. "Who is this?" Louis asked, he was suspicious, because pink haired animals don't often pretend to be cannibals and faceplant on Halloween. Before he had the chance to receive an answer, the cubs were yelling. "Jade!" they shouted, running up to the ermine, who had traded her weapon for a handful of sugar crystals. "Hey guys! Been a long time! You've grown." Jade hugged Alex and Selena, and have Chase a high five.

"Alright guys, you can come out!" Jade said, looking at two bushes on either side of her. The smaller bush started to shake, and out steeped a small brown raccoon. She had big brown eyes, and wore a pumpkin flower behind he left ear. "Presenting Mandy!" Jade exclaimed. Then the timid looking raccoon suddenly leaped into the air, did a backflip and landed gracefully, catching the flower and then bowing. "Woah!" The group said, impressed. Jade grinned. The other bush then began to part as a saber-toothed tiger emerged. He was grey like Shira, but much darker. His eyes were a dark green."And Jake!" The ermine shouted, before the tiger charged. Jade threw a handful of spears at him. He dodged each one, and was still running at Jade. She then jumped on top of him, and the two then stopped, and Jade hopped off. "Cool!" Alex yelled.

"And now... Jade!" she yelled, introducing herself. She threw her sword high in the air, and jumped up to get it. Mandy then threw the spears. Jade caught them midair, and landed smoothly, sword held in her teeth. She had three spears in each hand. "Happy Halloween!" the performers shouted. "Those were some pretty neat tricks!" Jake said. "But now it's time for treats!" Mandy giggled.

"How did you do that?" Peaches asked, impressed by their skill. "Lots of practice. And head injuries..." Jade rubbed her head, as if reliving such an event. "Actually, we used to travel around doing this kinda stuff. We never really wanted to settle down, but we also didn't want to have to forage for everything. It was Jake's idea, and we just stuck with it. It can be a lot of fun, but a small routine like you just saw can take half a year to learn. Not to mention the accidental piercing when you're working with spears..." Peaches cringed. Some things were better left unknown.

The group followed them to a small clearing with a fire already crackling. Jade grabbed a handful of sugar crystals. "Arrrrgh mateys! Come get some of my booty!" Jade said, laughing. "And no possums, that doesn't mean what you're hoping it does." Crash and Eddie hung their heads sadly.

"Anyway, make yourselves comfy, and I'll tell you a story.

When everyone was sitting down around the crackling fire, roasting some of the fruit they had received as treats, Jade began her story.

"Once, a lone fox was wandering through the forest at night, looking for something he had dropped. The only sound was the howl of the wind, which rustled the dry leaves around him. It was rather hard to see, and he eventually tripped over a root. When he turned around to see what he had stepped on, he saw a huge looming shape. It was tall and fat, and carried a deadly looking spoon. The fox had heard of this creature. It was called the Blubberman. According to legend, Blubberman stalked it's prey through the woods, wanting to eat them with its spoon. The fox took off running, not caring which way he went. He could hear the loud flopping sounds of Blubberman behind him. He then climbed a tall tree, for anything as heavy as this creature could not follow him. The fox stopped, convinced he was safe. Then, to his horror, giant spoons grew from the back of Blubberman. It tried to scoop up the fox, but he wasn't about to let that happen. He crawled into the hollow center of the tree, and stayed there for quite some time. He was one of the few who survived Blubberman. I know this because I met him. He told me all this. Of course he could have been crazy, but it's a good tale either way." she shrugged, and it was painfully obvious to the teens she'd made it up off the top of her head.

Jade finished her story, the firelight playing off her face, making her look strange and distorted. "Jade! That was way too scary! They're just cubs!" Peaches exclaimed. Chase looked at her, shaking his head. "It didn't scare me." he said, looking at Alex. "Or me." The other cub replied, but he seemed a little spooked. Selena had luckily fallen asleep. She woke up after what Peaches had said, and looked around sleepily. "What's going on?" She asked, confused. Before Peaches could tell her, she realized her crown was gone. She was quite upset about it, as she had really loved the crown. She whimpered sadly, no longer feeling like the princess she had earlier.

Peaches had seen the headpiece, back in the woods. It would only take her a moment to find it. "I'll go get it." she offered. Selena nodded gratefully. After Peaches had left, they heard a loud rustling, and some thumping coming from the bush. It was too far away to be Peaches. The cubs looked scared.

Jade looked around suspiciously. The noise got louder. And then her silliness melted away so fast, it was scary. She gestured to Mandy. "Mandy. Sword. Now." Mandy threw the requested weapon to the ermine. Just in time, as now the attacker's shadow towered above the small group. It had huge teeth, and what appeared to be a giant spoon. "Alright blubberboy. Let's cut you down to size." Jade said, gritting her teeth. The creature emerged from the brush slowly. It was...

Granny? "Have you seen Sidney?" she asked, looking around. Mandy looked around, as though she expected someone to jump out and announce they had played a prank. "Well, have you?" the elderly sloth asked, annoyed by the three animals who were staring at her. No one said anything, for it was just too strange. Seeing an old sloth with huge teeth stuffed into its mouth wasn't something you could really explain. "You deaf?" she asked, and then proceeded to whack Jade over the head with her cane. Jade's sword fell out of her hand. She grabbed her head, and looked around dazed for a moment, before shaking it off. "Worse then training." she mumbled. She the grabbed her sword. "I'm not going to respect my elders..."

"What is going on?" Peaches shouted, holding Selena's crown with her trunk. All the animals looked at her. "Granny? What are you doing here?" Granny rolled her eyes. "Looking for Sidney. He took my teeth." Peaches took a deep breath. " Granny, your teeth are in your mouth." The old sloth realized this was true. "Well Sidney should have told me he put them there." Everyone who was familiar with Granny sighed. Those who weren't just looked at her funny.

The time had come for the group to go home. The cubs needed to get to sleep, and Peaches and Louis were attending the Halloween party that all the teens were going to. She'd spent all month convincing Manny, and she wasn't about to miss it. Jade had helped them find their way back to the village. She had dumped a bunch of sugar crystals in the cub's bags, and then said goodbye. They had promised to visit her, and then they said goodbye.

At last they had met up with the rest of the herd, the cubs falling asleep almost immediately, dreaming of all the sweets they had to enjoy. Granny yelling at Sid about something. And Peaches and Louis headed off to the party. It had been a very happy Halloween indeed.

... Somewhere, Blubberman lumbers through a forest, spoon held tightly, looking for its next victim. So be careful next time you go exploring the woods at night, lest you not be as lucky as the fox.

**Happy Hallowern, you awesome possums! I'd appreciate any reviews, and to everyone who reviewed, followEd and faved, you rock! Loveless Ermine out!**


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